IT'S GOOD NEWS

Turning things upside down

Yesterday marked International Women's Day (yes we’re still talking about it) and people far and wide were coming up with creative, inspirational ways in which to celebrate the day. Many workplaces dressed up in pink, because all women love pink *eyeroll*, and others were using the hashtag #IWD2018 to share how they’d be celebrating the day.

However, IWD has become an opportunity for skeptical PR stunts and marketing ploys for some of the biggest named brands.With the likes of KFC, Pringles, Schwarzkopf and even Dreamworks turning their male protagonists on their iconic logos in to an alternate feminised replica, it begs the question whether this is out of respect for the day or just an excuse to get some cheap PR in play?

The infamous golden arches were the most talked about stunt of the day, where the iconic symbol underwent a 180 degree facelift, turning it into... WcDonalds? This was described as a, “celebration for women everywhere” by the chain and somehow that doesn’t resonate with me and many others. Fans called out the chain and raised the question about whether or not this really is standing up for Women and celebrating their female workers.

McDonald’s was not the only brand who decided to go for the 180 degree turn, the global network ‘MTV’ also jumped on the bandwagon and decided to turn their M into a W. The network must have caught wind of what McDonalds was doing, however, I’m sure they would have decided not to if they knew of the backlash they were about to face. Women’s TV for the day only arises the question of… is it meant to be men’s TV?

Nevertheless, the spin on making logos feminine and turning M’s in to W’s is all fun and games really and is just a harmless PR stunt by their savvy marketing teams, who love an excuse for a marketing ploy.

However, the important message from the whole day, PR stunts included, the 8th of March is intended to celebrate women’s cultural and economical achievements and call for more gender parity within the workplace. These marketing campaigns simply highlight areas in which women are missing and just how driven the marketing world is by men - behind and in front of campaigns.

So, let's hope for a change in women’s equality and for gender parity, the women outnumber the men here at PicPR 10-5!

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